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Mermaid tail braid

We haven't done a hair tutorial in ages! So, my friend (and hair genius) Caroline, photographer Jamie Beck and I decided to come together to whip up this gorgeous mermaid tail. It's perfect for those lazy summer day (or date nights) when you want to surprise and awe people with your hair. I absolutely love it--in fact, it might be my favorite hair tutorial yet. How gorgeous is that braid, above?!

Here are Caroline's steps, if you'd like to try it out...1. Divide your hair into two equal sections.

2-4. Braid each section, and tie the end with an elastic band. You'll want to do what's called a "Dutch braid." For a normal braid, you take the outside section and cross it IN FRONT of the middle section. A Dutch braid is the opposite: the outside section goes BEHIND the middle section. It's important to do the braids this way so that they'll look seamless when when you connect the two sections later.

5-6. Fatten out the two braids by pulling apart the outer edges. I like to "smush" the braid back and forth in my fingers, too—whatever makes them fuller and fatter and not so sleek.

7. Line up the two separate braids so they begin to look like one big fat braid. It's important to make sure the middle section of the mermaid tail lines up--don't worry if the ends of your braids (the hair that is sticking out underneath the elastic) are uneven, it won't matter. It's more important to line up the braid correctly, so the center of the tail matches.

8. Pin the center of the two braided sections together. I tend to use mini bobby pins since they are easier to hide, and I like to pin them in and up (you start with the pin facing horizontally, then as you push it into the hair, you direct it vertically). Use as many bobby pins as it takes, until you feel the braid is secure. I used about five little pins, and pinned about 1 1/2 inches apart, wherever I could best hide them.

(Optional step: You can remove the two separate rubber bands at the end, and just use one to combine the two tails together. I didn't do this because I used smaller rubber bands to begin with.)"That's it!" says Caroline, "Such an easy fun way to wear something other than a plain ol' braid!" Would be great to wear this braid all summer, don't you think? :) (And here are our eight previous hair tutorials, if you'd like more summer hair ideas.) Thank you again, Caroline and Jamie!

I adore your hair tutorials and they actually make me feel confident trying new things with my hair - thanks so much for doing them! I wonder whether you might try one or two for curly hair sometime. Half the fabulousness of Caroline's messy styles is the play between her very straight sleek hair and the messiness of the textures she creates. I'd love to see what she might come up with for hair that starts out with more texture to begin with (altho many of these styles work for curly hair - they just look a bit different). Anyway - love love love this feature and thanks to both of you!

Absolutely love this!! Will try it as soon as I get home :) Just a question, Jo. I fell in love with the lipstick color, eagerly scrolling down to see which shade and brand it was from, and was surprised to see So Chaud by MAC. I just picked up So Chaud, and it's more of a fiery orange than this beautiful pink pop. Any chance the shade may be something different, by accident? Would love to find which shade it is so I can pick it up :) thanks!

Patricia, the lipstick is indeed So Chaud, it looks a tad pinker in these pics. You can always layer it with another color (I like to sometimes layer cover girl lip pens under my lipsticks for more staying power) to get a pinkier hue, and by adding the So Chaud on top, you get that pop of bright color!

I'm thisclose to chopping off my hair (it's the longest it's been since 2008) but I think before I do I need to go back through Caroline's tutorials and see if I can sway myself away. The first touch of Kansas humidity usually sends me running to cut it all off!

carly, the tee and jeans are vintage, sorry about that! i'll try to scout out a similar one. xo erin, yes!!! we're planning a bunch for curly hair and short hair -- i'm just super slow moving forward, but excited about it!!!! :)

sarah, yes, you could totally do this with super slick braids -- especially if you did your hair when it was damp and then hair sprayed it to keep away any strays. i love the messy/bedhead/sexy look, but sleek would be pretty, too!

I adore these hair tutorials. Thank you Joanna!Caroline, you're breathtaking in these photos. So not fair. ;) I'd love to know your cheek & lip color in the how-to photos. p.s. Love your jewelry line. I have one of your bracelets!

I love your blog & read it daily. Sometimes I when I wake in the middle of the night can't get back to sleep, I'll browse through your older posts & always go back to sleep with a smile or visual from one of your photos like the baby orphan owls.

For anyone in Manhattan area still searching for much coveted Domino Quick Fixes (re-)premiere issue, a stand on Broadway 76-77th St has them. Nice fellow there told me he ordered 100 copies & they are on window display as of this morning.

Ahh! I just cut my hair to my shoulders, and although I totally love it...this makes me want long hair again. I love your hair tutorials and people started to think I was a hair genius too when I was wearing them all the time. I will just have to book mark this one for when I get sick of short hair and grow mine out again, which will probably happen within the year. :)

Caroline is simply stunning. Thanks for sharing her outfit/makeup details. My hair is way too short to braid, but I still walked away from this post with something...namely less money in my wallet! Haha! Hello, chambray top!